Mandatory Working From Home: No Escape

I'm glad I'm not you!

I feel your pain, OP. Being cooped up and pretty much away from the possibility of catching this thing must be very daunting for you.

How can we make things better for you?

I totally agree. I feel exactly the same. Even though I can walk away from the computer and do other things around the house, the computer always pulls me back. I never worked at home before, and it feels very invasive. However, I feel most fortunate to still have a job in comparison to so many others who have no job, no prospects of finding a job and no money.

I've worked from home for more than 15 years. Here's what's helped:

If you're using a laptop and it's a dedicated work laptop, put it away at the end of the day. Stick it in a drawer. Don't leave it set up.

Dress for work. Nothing fancy, but shower and dress as you would if you were leaving the house.

Do something to mark the "before work" period. Coffee, exercise, reading something unrelated to work.

If you can, think of what you'd spend if these were normal times. Consider donating a little bit at the end of the week to an essential worker. Up your tips in general. Think of this as maintaining the essential workers since you rely so much on them

Perspective is going to spare you a lot of heartache: You have a job. You have a home. So far, you don't have Corvid-19. It's a shitty time because we have to do our regular jobs with this looming over us. And that's for us fortunate folk.

That's it. There's not a great uplifting answer, OP. This shit sucks.

Look on the bright side. You remain gainfully employed and are still bringing home your salary.

It's Friday OP, you have two mental health days coming up.

Work always sucks sometimes, but you can do it, the weekend will be here before you know it.

I feel very fortunate being able to keep working, even if from home, but I do feel a bit of the same as you, OP. I'd love to take a few vacation days, but then what do you do? I suggested to my partner that we just go for a drive somewhere this weekend - stop in the country and just go for a walk down some dirt road or something.

Thanks to the people who didn’t respond like jerks.

I am incredibly grateful to remain employed. I am incredibly grateful to have a job that allows for remote work (only because of this crisis; never before). I am incredibly grateful for everyone who is saving lives or trying to save lives, and for people who are preparing and getting food and other necessities to people. I am truly grateful. My sister does child protective services. Her pay is shit and she works in a county building that also includes free health services for poor people. Abuse and neglect reports have spiked. She doesn’t have the option of working at home, and her compensation is terrible, her office has no personal protective equipment, and she feels like a sitting duck. I know how lucky I am.

But psychology operates separately from purely objective facts. As grateful as I am, I am also stir crazy and I feel like a caged animal. Other people feel similarly, even knowing that many others have it worse. It’s a stressful time for most, and one person’s anxieties are not dependent on another person’s situations.

I’ll survive. I am just venting. This is a new environment for me, relative solitary confinement with only a computer, Zoom and houseplants to keep me company.

The math is real easy. Don't post like entitled jerk when people have real problems and you don't get jerk response.

Even a jerk can get it.

Always get up the same time you do to go to the office, even if you're hungover, always shower, and always dress for the office, even if you hate those sorts of clothes and think "This is silly, I could just as easily do this in my pyjamas". When work is done change out of the work clothes and into whatever you feel comfortable wearing.

It sets up a psychological as well as physical barrier between your home life and your office life, even though it's all happening in the same place. It will make a difference, I promise.

Fashion isn't just frippery - it's definition.

Take a vacation day OP. I supervise 15 staff, all working from home. I grant leave as needed. People just need to get out, or away from their computer. And there are plenty of reasons to take a sick day that have nothing to do with COVID19.

I’m looking for a day or too I can schedule off for myself.

Two, not too. I’m better with staff than I am with homophones.

Take a day off and go for a drive -- no need to get out and be in contact with others but a little change of scenery does wonders. I'm going to take a drive to the Shenandoah Skyline Drive for a few hours and turn around and come back home. Feel the need to get some fresh air in my car and lungs and today looks as nice a day as any.

[quote] Two, not too. I’m better with staff than I am with homophones.

Is this some sort of dildo that’s shaped like a cell?

no sympathy.

think about people in crap jobs dealing with the public, with no masks, inadequate pay, crappy health coverage, poor health from poor people food.

then go back and cry about your conditions, poor hamster!